Governance without Borders

AI has played a critical role in technological development, both by increasing individual capacity through education and by changing the process of technological development itself. 

AI has radically changed the education sector. High quality education is available to the majority of people (especially those who have access to the G-WOB platform), which has led to billions of new innovators and inventors participating in the future through technological development. 

AI has also changed the process of technological development. AI has played a critical role in advancing precise manufacturing, synthetic biology, and material science that supports advanced climate tech, neuroscience, and GPT research. AI has done so primarily by making significant strides in research capacity all over the world. AI has made it easier for researchers to navigate the massive size of scientific literature: the AI parses the literature, identifies relevant papers, translates literature enabling global collaboration and summarizes the findings. Not only that, AI can organize research notes, data, ideas, and synthesizes these into novel insights. This allows human researchers to turn their attention to the creative aspects of science, like experimental design and theory development.

AGI does not exist for two primary reasons Firstly, there are some intractable difficulties with realizing AGI, and secondly, there is still some hesitation by the public about AGI due to its uncontrollable risks. 

The realization of AGI remains elusive primarily due to the immense complexity and theoretical challenges associated with replicating or surpassing human intelligence in a machine. Consciousness, a fundamental yet poorly understood aspect of human cognition, may be necessary for true AGI and could prove impossible to instantiate in artificial systems. Additionally, the world in 2045 increasingly relies on AI for various tasks, and AI systems receive less creative input from humans, potentially stunting their ability to evolve towards AGI. Experts are pointing out this paradox: the closer we get to achieving AGI, the more our reliance on narrow AI is inadvertently limiting the creative and diverse inputs necessary for an AI to achieve general intelligence. 

Additionally, G-WOB has put on numerous conferences related to AGI, both to facilitate discussions about the science and to discuss potential consequences. So far, the global community is hesitant about pursuing AGI development due to the risks, which has limited investment and innovation in the technology.

Climate Tech: Climatech advancements lead to unlimited clean energy and effective carbon capture. Carbon capture has evolved beyond industrial point-source capture to encompass direct air capture (DAC) systems. Ocean iron fertilization enables genetically engineered phytoplanktons to capture and sequester carbon, turning the ocean into a light-driven carbon sink. Innovations in materials science led to development of highly effective sorbents that can bind carbon dioxide at much lower energy costs, making DAC both economically viable and scalable. Once captured, the carbon dioxide is either sequestered underground in geological formations that were once depleted oil and gas fields or used in carbon utilization processes. 

Neurotech: Whole Brain Emulation (WBE) represents a monumental leap in neuroscience and computational biology, creating functional digital replicas of human brains. In 2045, we have not yet executed full WBE but have made major breakthroughs. In healthcare, WBE has led to breakthrough therapies for conditions previously difficult to treat, such as Alzheimer's, PTSD, and neurological damage from strokes. In education, WBE has expanded our intellectual and emotional capital. We now can access to simulated brains of great thinkers, experts, and animals, which has sped up the acquisition of knowledge and skills, enhanced decision-making and metacognitive processes, and deepened our empathy and understanding across different life perspectives.

In our world, the integration and governance of advanced technologies, including AI, are governed democratically by Governance Without Borders (G-WOB), which holds hundreds of events online and in conference venues around the world. These events are attended by a wide cross-section of humanity, who are able to keep up and participate in these discussions thanks to expanded educational resources and a universal basic income provided by G-WOB, which allows them to invest their time in the things that matter to them. Democratic participation has led to norms, cultural expectations, and institutions that have worked to address coordination challenges and risks associated with novel technologies. 

G-WOB’s global influence comes from its large global user base—over 85% of users participate. While the world in 2045 is a multipolar world with powerful players like China, the EU, the US, and ASEAN, G-WOB’s global influence has worked to reduce the influence of supra-national, national, and sub-state interests that often drive technological development for military and economic dominance. Democratic participation, facilitated by G-WOB, has fostered stronger incentives for open technological development and has established robust norms within the international system. 

People inhabit sustainable communities. Homes are energy-efficient, there are abundant clean energy sources, and carbon capture technologies are slowly undoing the harms created by climate change. People live in communities that practice proper stewardship of nature, learning about ecology and nature. People are mobile and free to travel, learning about different expressions of humanity all over the world. 

Work is redefined. Unlike work in 2020, work in 2045 is not limited by the production of economic value. Automation handles repetitive tasks, freeing humans for creative, purpose-driven endeavors that are not necessarily reflected in GDP. Care-work is valued for its own sake, and people recognize the importance of care and strong relationships as a reflection of their humanity. There is bottom-up innovation as people pursue what interests them. Formerly “useless” endeavours like the arts and philosophy flourish.

G-WOB has changed how people interact and has made governance democratic. Not only do people engage in cross-cultural dialogues, but they engage in dialogues about the future of political, economic, and technological conditions. This is supported by educational technologies and an educated public. 

In 2045, one notable good trend is democratic participation. Facilitated by new educational opportunities and the G-WOB platform, the global public is interested in participating in discussions about the important events in the day, and takes a future-oriented perspective on the issues coming in the future. By participating in these discussions and making their voices heard, there is a bottom-up approach to democratic governance on multiple levels: in the local community, on the level of sub-national jurisdictions, on the level of the nation-state, as well as on the international level. These conversations lead to norms, institutions, new advocacy organizations, private sector organizations, as well as policy changes. 

There is one trend that many are concerned about, and these are existential risks resulting from novel technologies. While the public attempts to keep themselves informed and educated about new technologies and the potential risks associated with them, there is the awareness that technologies are not 100% controllable. There is always the chance that rogue actors misuse and abuse technologies for their own gain. 

In 2045, society has kept some values, like the respect for democracy and education. However, the practice of these values have been greatly modified: people do not experience democracy as the practice of voting once every couple years for a politician; instead, democracy is understood as a process of political participation. Additionally, education has changed in its delivery (see Economy & Institutions, Q2, for full details) and in its purpose. People engage in lifelong education and pursue education for its own sake. 

Some values have been expelled. Short-term rent-seeking behaviour is discouraged and looked down upon, especially as most people have access to UBI, and they are able to engage in activities that give their lives purpose. 

New values have emerged in 2045, namely respect for nature and creativity for the sake of creativity. Climate change and environmental destruction have made people reevaluate their relationship with nature. There is a general interest in ecology and nature among the public, and more and more people consider themselves stewards of nature. As for creativity for its own sake, UBI and educational technologies have made it possible for people to pursue their interests. While creativity was once valued only for its potential economic value, the culture has changed, and creativity is pursued for the sake of creativity. 

One new institution, Governance Without Borders, has made a pivotal transformation in the world in 2045. G-WOB is an opt-in platform with a UBI component. NOBRAC is the name of the cryptocurrency attached to G-WOB, and a certain number of NOBRAC is deposited under the identity of any individual unconditionally, whether they participate or not. Any individual who opts in with their personal identity can claim the accumulated NOBRAC. 

G-WOB has grown its userbase to encompass over 85% of the global population. It is an important forum for democratic participation and deliberation on the most pressing issues in the world, like technological development. Every year, hundreds of events and conferences are held by G-WOB users on a voluntary basis, convening a wide and diverse cross-section of society, including civil society, nation-state actors, private sector, not-for-profits, and the interested public. Several of these events and conferences are related to new technologies, where participants discuss everything from the technicalities of new technologies to their risks and how to govern them. As such, the institution is leading forums on the governance of technologies that pose existential risks to humanity.

The education sector has been transformed due to the technologies available in the year 2045. Climatech has allowed for net-zero transportation and green energy, which has facilitated the transportation of students and members of the public to conferences, events, and educational institutions all around the world. (While education happens virtually, the movement of people has proven to be necessary particularly when it comes to studies on the environment and nature due to the intractable material characteristics of nature.) 

Neurotech, particularly Whole Brain Emulation (WBE), has greatly expanded access to intellectual capital. We now have access to simulated brains of great thinkers, experts, and animals, which has sped up the acquisition of knowledge and skills, enhanced decision-making and metacognitive processes, and deepened our empathy and understanding across different life perspectives.

Additionally, AI and network technologies (i.e., Starlink) provides access to high quality learning programs for at zero marginal cost. AI tutors can create personalized curriculum, answer questions, provoke learners with their questions, and create assignments. The classroom and teachers still exist, but in another role. Teachers operate like technologists and facilitators who teach students how to interact with AI and learning technologies. In classrooms, students learn soft skills and transferable skills like communication and presentation skills, which are important for democratic participation.